Chapter 3

I was very satisfied with Damien.

So satisfied that I even thought he might be the exception.

But sometimes, reality slaps you in the face faster than you expect.

The day of the school play rehearsal, I went to find him.

He and Bella were sitting close together, sharing a milk tea. He took a sip.

Then Bella lowered her head, placing her lips on the straw he'd just touched.

After she drank, Damien casually took another sip without any hesitation.

My head buzzed.

Damien looked up and saw me. He froze for a moment.

Following my gaze, he also looked at the straw:

"Bella has low blood sugar. She fainted on stage several times. I want to finish rehearsal quickly so we don't waste everyone's time."

He handed the remaining milk tea to Bella:

"Finish this and let's get back to rehearsing."

Bella took it, slowly sucked on the straw, and smiled at me:

"Your boyfriend really is dense. No matter how I flirt, he doesn't react."

"This time, you finally picked the right one."

She walked away in her high heels, her back as arrogant as ever.

I stood there, my heart pounding hard.

I knew that look of determination in her eyes all too well.

Damien noticed my expression was off and reached out to hold me:

"Babe, don't overthink it."

"A few days ago, the girl playing the female lead was in a car accident. Bella's filling in as a favor. I can't not return the favor."

I nodded and leaned on his shoulder.

"You know what? Bella seems to really like my boyfriends. She stole away all my previous ones. I'm afraid you'll also..."

He held me tighter:

"Don't worry. The person I love will always be you."

As soon as he finished speaking, his phone rang.

I glanced at it. It was a message from Bella.

He quickly looked at it, then released me:

"I need to get back to work. I'll come find you later."

I watched his retreating figure, my heart sinking bit by bit.

I thought Damien would be different, but in just one week, he'd already added her on SnapChat.

Over the next few days, Damien clearly sensed my low mood.

To cheer me up, he said he'd take me on a yacht and introduce me to his close friends.

I decided to give him one more chance.

The yacht was huge, with champagne and delicate pastries on the deck.

Damien introduced me to everyone: "This is my girlfriend, Molly."

A few guys greeted me with smiles. The atmosphere was fairly pleasant.

After chatting for a bit, the topic shifted to the Steele family's recent project.

"How's your family's new drug development going?"

Damien frowned:

"There's one critical issue we can't overcome. If we could contact top cardiac specialist Dr. Harold Smith, things would be fine. Otherwise, if this drags on, all our initial investment will go down the drain."

As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar voice cut in:

"Dr. Smith?"

Bella walked over with a smile.

"I know him. My aunt is a pharmaceutical rep. She's had dinner with Dr. Smith several times. If you want to meet him, I can help."

Damien looked up, surprise flashing in his eyes.

I stood to the side, my fingers slowly clenching.

All of Damien's attention was drawn to Bella.

While they were deep in conversation, I quietly took out my phone and sent a message to an unsaved number.

"The fish is almost hooked. Proceed as planned."